Swenke Elementary Students Donate Over 300 Stuffed Animals to Harris County Constable Precinct 5
Last month, students at Swenke Elementary in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD held their annual stuffed animal collection drive for Harris County Constable Precinct 5 deputies. The stuffed animals will serve a very unique - and important - purpose, thanks to the legacy of compassion of one Cypress-Fairbanks student who left her mark on the community before her life was tragically cut far too short.
Nearly 15 years ago, the current principal of Swenke Elementary, Dr. Elizabeth Miller, coached a vibrant student named Julia Marie Briggs in lacrosse. Julia attended Farney Elementary, Black Elementary, and Hamilton Middle School. A member of the Iron Maiden’s Lacrosse team, Julia was an energetic, charismatic, inspirational, and caring leader who demonstrated her leadership through athletics and community service. In addition to playing lacrosse with the Cy-Fair Iron Maidens, Julia played basketball, ran cross country, and was also actively involved in the Girl Scouts. She was beginning her quest to attain the Silver Award for Girl Scouts, for which she chose to gather stuffed animals for the Houston Police Department for homicide detectives to give to children to hold for comfort in times of crisis.
But Julia's plans came to a tragic halt when she suddenly and very unexpectedly passed away on May 30, 2009 at just thirteen years old from Mediastinal Lymphoma, a very rare and aggressive form of cancer. To honor her memory and joyful approach to life, her family and friends created the Burning Flower Foundation, which is dedicated to educating people about Mediastinal Lymphoma and raising donations for charities and causes that held special meaning for Julia, including comforting children when they need it most. When Julia was in first grade, she was named "Burning Flower" during a family Cub Scout camping trip with her brother. Chief Brad selected this fitting name, explaining that "because your beauty is like a flower so bright it cannot go unnoticed.” The Burning Flower Foundation continues to honor her legacy with the help of several organizations and groups throughout the Cy-Fair area, including Swenke Elementary.
Each year, Swenke Elementary's Student Council members vote on which project they wish to pursue as a way to give back to the community. In the past, students have collected canned food for local food banks and pet supplies for animal shelters, as well as stuffed animals for first responders. Once Swenke Elementary students heard Julia’s story and understood who the stuffed animals would go to, they have continued to vote "yes" to this special initiative year after year.
After voting to continue to do this service project, Swenke Elementary's current Student Council officers came up with the idea to host a spirit week during their drive to spread awareness and encourage donations. They brought this idea to Student Council members during their meeting and the members voted on their top choices, followed by a meeting with Dr. Miller to finalize the plan. During their spirit week, Student Council hosted a special theme for each day: Monday-Wear a sports jersey (to honor Julia's love of sports), Tuesday-Wear PJs (because PJs and stuffed animals go together), Wednesday-Bring your own favorite stuffed animal to school, Thursday-Wear purple in Julia’s memory, and Friday-Swenke Spirit Day.
"Teaching and practicing kindness are very important to the staff at Swenke. Doing the stuffed animal drive is a perfect way to show kindness to others. Even though we don’t know the children who will receive these stuffed animals, we love knowing we are helping to bring comfort to children who are going through a difficult time," said Dr. Elizabeth Miller, principal of Swenke Elementary.
All 33 Student Council members participated in this initiative by going to their assigned classrooms to give information about the collection and to collect and tally the stuffed animals during the week of the drive. In addition, Student Council officers made daily morning announcements about the purpose of the stuffed animal drive, the spirit days, and the classes in the lead for number of stuffed animals donated, which came to an astonishing grand total of 341 stuffed animals. Sergeant BJ Howard with Harris County Constable Precinct 5 stopped by Swenke Elementary recently to pick up the stuffed animals and had the opportunity to meet several of the students who were involved in spearheading the drive, as pictured above. From left to right, the students who met with Sergeant Howard were Reece Greer, Sadie Buchanan, Peyton Pless, Corbin Hetmaniak and Carter Moore.
The class with the highest number of donations on each grade level was given a choice of prizes. But the best prize of all was knowing they were giving to a worthy cause in memory of a fellow Cypress-Fairbanks ISD student whose legacy of love and compassion lives on.
To learn more about the Burning Flower Foundation, please visit burningflower.com.
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Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
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